CRIMINALS travelling from outside South Yorkshire to steal cars in the Penistone area were targeted in a police operation this week.
Cars were tracked in both directions using number plate recognition technology on the A628 near Dunford Bridge on Wednesday in Operation Border.
If they brought up a ‘hit’ on police computers, they were pulled over further along the road.
Officials from Barnsley and Sheffield councils were on hand to check taxi drivers for permits and vehicle inspectors from the Ministry of Transport were also present.
The operation was organised by PC Andy Stevenson from the Penistone Safer Neighbourhood Team.
He said the operation was launched after the police received information about so-called ‘Hanoi burglaries’, where criminals steal luxury cars by breaking into houses and taking keys.
“It was a high profile operation designed to reassure people that we are trying our best to tackle crime in the area.”
